J-3 on Floats and Pa-28 Mid-air at Winter Haven, FL 4 Dead
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2023 4:26 am
Planes collide over Winter Haven lake in Polk County, 4 dead, officials say
Witnesses say the planes crashed into each other, then fell into the water. Rescue workers are searching Lake Hartridge for possible survivors, officials said.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2 ... lake-polk/
WINTER HAVEN — Two small planes collided in midair over a central Florida lake Tuesday afternoon — killing four people, authorities said.
Rescue workers spent hours searching Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven for possible survivors Tuesday evening, Polk County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Steve Lester said during a news conference. One person was pronounced dead after rescuers attempted CPR, he said.
The circumstances surrounding the discovery of the other three fatalities weren’t disclosed as of this writing.
Winter Haven is located about 40 miles southwest of Orlando.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified one of the planes as a Piper J-3 floatplane. In a news release Tuesday night, the Sheriff’s Office identified the other plane as a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane and said it was “operated by Sunrise Aviation (Ormond Beach) on behalf of Polk State College.”
Deputies said they didn’t immediately know how many people were in the planes, where they had taken off or what caused the crash. The lake where the planes went down is located immediately to the southeast of the Winter Haven Regional Airport.
In a news release around 10 p.m., Polk officials said they believe the four were the only people aboard the two planes.
“It is no longer a search and rescue operation, but a recovery operation,” the release said.
Authorities identified three of those killed:
Faith Irene Baker, 24, of Winter Haven. Baker, a pilot/flight instructor at Sunrise Aviation, was in the Cherokee Piper 161.
Zachary Jean Mace, 19, of Winter Haven. Mace was a student at Polk State College and was also in the Cherokee Piper 161.
Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Crawford was in the Piper J3 Cub.
The identity of the fourth person has not been confirmed yet, officials said.
Witnesses recalled the planes crashing into each other and then immediately falling into the water, Lester said. The wing of one plane was sticking out of the water, while the other aircraft had settled about 21 feet below the surface, officials said.
Lester said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
I got my SES /MES ratings at Jack Brown's. The UC-1 (SeaBee converted to multi-engine) that I got my MES crashed a few years ago. Waiting to see the N-number of the J3; I got my SES in their 90HP J3.
PP
Witnesses say the planes crashed into each other, then fell into the water. Rescue workers are searching Lake Hartridge for possible survivors, officials said.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2 ... lake-polk/
WINTER HAVEN — Two small planes collided in midair over a central Florida lake Tuesday afternoon — killing four people, authorities said.
Rescue workers spent hours searching Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven for possible survivors Tuesday evening, Polk County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Steve Lester said during a news conference. One person was pronounced dead after rescuers attempted CPR, he said.
The circumstances surrounding the discovery of the other three fatalities weren’t disclosed as of this writing.
Winter Haven is located about 40 miles southwest of Orlando.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified one of the planes as a Piper J-3 floatplane. In a news release Tuesday night, the Sheriff’s Office identified the other plane as a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane and said it was “operated by Sunrise Aviation (Ormond Beach) on behalf of Polk State College.”
Deputies said they didn’t immediately know how many people were in the planes, where they had taken off or what caused the crash. The lake where the planes went down is located immediately to the southeast of the Winter Haven Regional Airport.
In a news release around 10 p.m., Polk officials said they believe the four were the only people aboard the two planes.
“It is no longer a search and rescue operation, but a recovery operation,” the release said.
Authorities identified three of those killed:
Faith Irene Baker, 24, of Winter Haven. Baker, a pilot/flight instructor at Sunrise Aviation, was in the Cherokee Piper 161.
Zachary Jean Mace, 19, of Winter Haven. Mace was a student at Polk State College and was also in the Cherokee Piper 161.
Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Crawford was in the Piper J3 Cub.
The identity of the fourth person has not been confirmed yet, officials said.
Witnesses recalled the planes crashing into each other and then immediately falling into the water, Lester said. The wing of one plane was sticking out of the water, while the other aircraft had settled about 21 feet below the surface, officials said.
Lester said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
I got my SES /MES ratings at Jack Brown's. The UC-1 (SeaBee converted to multi-engine) that I got my MES crashed a few years ago. Waiting to see the N-number of the J3; I got my SES in their 90HP J3.
PP